Why Is Mucus Trending... Again?
A deep dive into what snail mucin is, what it does, going through all the claims and why you need to be Bob Woodward levels of investigative journalist if you try to buy it on Amazon or TikTok Shop.
I’m someone who is wary of products that go viral.
Not because they don’t have merit, but because it feels like my childhood of “As Seen On TV” ads. They’re miracles! You need them now! How did you live before the invention of this thing you probably don’t need?!
So, if you also want to understand how we got to smearing snails on our faces… here is my deep dive.
First things first… snail mucin is a tale as old as the internet
Every few years snail mucin finds a new audience to go viral with. In the 2010’s it was Into The Gloss and magazines waxing poetic. In 2018 media had a resurgence. Now, you can’t scroll on TikTok without being besieged by it.
But, what is snail mucin? What does it do? Do you *need* it? Bolding each section so you can scroll through the sections you care about.
The history:
Gastropod slime has always been popular. Used in traditional Chinese medicine, Ancient Greeks used snails for inflammation and burns because it was cooling. The Greeks loved anything that was perceived to bring down your temperature, even invented the first recorded cold cream.
In the last decade? We have Korean Beauty to thank for the snail renaissance.
Because Charlotte Cho from Soko Glam had a huge hand in the rise of brands like COSRX, I am embedding this gem of an Instagram post from 2016.
What is in snail mucin?
Snail mucin, like most natural extracts and “filtrates” are a blend of ingredients. These blends can be variable. Why? The vitamin C in an orange will change based on farming, how much sun it was exposed to, the quality of the soil, how ripe it’s gotten. A Navel orange has a higher amount of vitamin C than a Valencia orange. Ascorbic Acid made in a lab? Precise. Nature is wonderful, but, it is not always predictable.
So, what’s in the snail sauce? In theory, if you collect their trails you’ll find ingredients like…
Glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans (hydrators)
Allantoin (soothing/moisturizing)
Glycolic acid (chemical exfoliator and hydrator)
Hyaluronic acid (hydrator)
Glycoproteins and copper peptides (unclear if this is doing much if of anything but in theory signal proteins that can plump skin)
Iron, copper, manganese even zinc.
Making claims on any individual ingredient found in snail trails is where I get suspect. I’m sure snail mucin have some of the above ingredients. My issue is making claims based off of them individually. A dusting of glycolic acid is different than a 90% chemical peel at a pH of 2. The latter would melt your face off.
An important thing to remember in skincare, is if you’re going to make a claim on ingredients you should;
Know the dose, with studies to understand the percentage that would give your skin a discernible response or result.
Study the final product to ensure it’s working as the active percent says it should.
Does the mucin have 1% or .001% glycolic acid? Does it change based on the snail’s stress levels? Type of snail used? What about the pH of the product?
It’s not dissimilar to adding salt to a recipe. A pinch of salt is different than a cup.
It’s important to note that I haven’t found precise breakdowns of what is in the snail juice. I’ve reached out to suppliers but do not expect to hear from them as it is proprietary. That being said without something like a certificate of analysis that can break down the composition of snail filtrate… we don’t know.
While it’s unclear what’s in snail mucin, let’s go through the claims on TikTok and the internet.
Claim #1: Hyperpigmentation:
This claim is thrown around a *lot*. And with headlines like below, it would be easy to think this article is about snail mucin clearing hyperpigmentation. Particularly, the glycolic acid found in snail mucin. Wrong.
This editor’s routine included
Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser a few times a week
Caudalie Glycolic Peel 1x a week
Vitamin C serums including a COSRX one (not snail based)
Murad's Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum which has 2% hydroquinone
Then snail mucin
The article’s headline was optimized for search. Snail mucin didn’t clear her hyperpigmentation.
There don’t seem to be many (if any) studies that show using using only snail mucin for hyperpigmentation. That being said, like the Allure editor noted, it’s a great hydrator. This can be imperative when you’re using ingredients that are rough on the skin like glycolic acid, retinoids or hydroquinone. Snail mucin is a great add if you aren’t allergic to it and find your skin is dehydrated.
Claim #2: Wrinkles
I found some sites and many TikToks mention aging. I did find one study that showed benefits to the skin including elasticity, moisture retention, wrinkles and skin roughness. The catch? Snail mucin wasn’t the only ingredient. The serums used in the study came from one of my favorite manufacturers in Spain (Cantabria, they make Heliocare sunscreen). In addition to the secretions of the mollusc Cryptomphalus aspersa, the serum studied had Tensderm, Vitamins C and E, niacinamide, and antioxidant rich extracts.
They also had participants use a best-in-class SPF 50 which can also help with these metrics if they weren’t using sunscreen prior to the study… so. That too. Wouldn’t make the claim that snail mucin helps with wrinkles outside of the hydration (which can help!).
Claim #3: Hydration
Yes. If you love the texture and find your skin is missing hydration, snail mucin is a great add. So is glycerin, or a really good moisturizer.
If you have a dust mite or shellfish allergy, skip it for the hydration as your skin will freak out. Like how I freaked when I discovered snails have thousands of teeth. This is a close up image of snail teeth from the Natural History Museum. I have an irrational fear of ghosts. Then I remember shit like this exists.
Claim #4: Barrier Repair/Wound Healing/Antimicrobial
Maybe! Unclear how this ties to acne claims (a claim I, personally, would never make). One journal I read listed some mucins as an exciting addition to wound dressings. That being said, most studies appear to be on mice so, take the claims with a grain of salt. Unless if you’re a snail. No salt for you.
TLDR; if you’re looking for hydration snail mucin has a lot of fans for a reason.
So, are all snail mucin’s the same?
No. Let’s go down this rabbit hole together.
Take any beauty product you have. Look at the ingredient list. This is called the INCI. INCI stands for the International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient. This is how you can identify what’s in your products from an ingredient standpoint. A brand can claim the generic term Vitamin C, but unless they call out what kind, you’re going to have to go to the INCI to figure it out.
So how does this impact snail secretions? A few ways. Snail Secretion Filtrate is what appears on all ingredient lists… but there are variations on what is in the filtrate based on the following;
The kind of snail will dictate its sauce: garden snails secret different mucin than a banana rasp snail. It is unclear what you’re getting from a box. COSRX does appear to be a garden snail though some sites note it’s a different species.
What the snail is fed will dictate its sauce: after some searching I found the supplier to COSRX’s snail sauce. It has over 5 different filtrates from snails. Two have specific benefits based on what the snail is fed. Yes, Alo-Mucin is snail slime from snails that eat aloe vera. Why does this matter? There is variability. The supplier also claims it contains salicylic acid because aloe has salicylic acid. Would anyone say salicylic acid in aloe is exfoliating? Snail slime from aloe-fed snails is exfoliating? Maybe? I have not found a certificate of analysis showing the percentages or chemical breakdown of what’s in the snail slime so this is all a question mark.
The suggested use level determines efficacy: COSRX’s supplier recommends 2-20% of snail filtrate. Unclear why the most popular brands have over 90% filtrate when the supplier says 2-20%. Might be marketing, or they might be adding a lot in based on some research I haven’t found.
The pH of a product will change what the filtrate does: exfoliation is strongest at lower pH’s. COSRX has a pH of 6.5. Glycolic acid functions best at a pH of 3-4. Without seeing the percentage of glycolic acid, it’s a stretch to say it’s exfoliating. We just don’t know.
The percentage of each ingredient is unknown so you don’t know what’s actually in there: Glycerin has a different effect at 1% than at 10%. Same goes for all the ingredients in the snail filtrate. What’s the percentage of hyaluronic acid? Copper peptides? Unclear.
Was the snail stressed out? What snails are fed, its emotional state etc. all impact what’s in the snail juice. Like with any “natural” or agricultural product, it may be inconsistent.
While brands like COSRX seem to source their snail juice from suppliers that try to control variables (like not stress out the snail when they’re oozing), like any natural ingredient, sourcing will vary by brand.
Still interested in the snail sauce?
Personally, I’ve tried to re-incorporate into my routine and it’s just another step without clear benefits for my current routine. So, I stopped. My skin is hydrated so it’s not additive… but you may love it. It’s been popular for eons for a reason so I will not yuck your snail yum. Plus, for some it’ll be reasonably priced ($25 for 100mL). Personally, I find it a great value skincare product if you like it.
If you use it, always dampen your skin first, then apply the mucin, then your moisturizer. I’d put water-based serums on beforehand.
Who is snail mucin good for?
People who like layering products
People who like hydrating serums
Acne prone skin as it’s quite light and won’t clog pores
People that don’t have dust mite or shellfish allergies
People that like a sticky/texturally interesting product
People that aren’t vegan
How to not buy fake snail mucin:
Counterfeit snail mucin (and beauty products) are rampant on 3rd party sellers like Amazon and TikTok Shop. This is not unique to Snail Mucin or Korean Beauty. Counterfeiting is common amongst anything that is viral or popular.
So, here’s how to get the real stuff:
Buy directly from the brand or look at their verified resellers. No affiliate links, just don’t want unidentified snail juice on your face.
If you’re on Amazon… make sure it’s being sold by the brand. Sometimes Amazon will advertise within the brand seller page with other sellers. Also important to remember fulfillment has come into question so you actually make get a fake even when buying directly from the brand on Amazon.
IF you buy from a 3rd party reseller, my advice is to always have the original on your shelf. Some dead give aways are the pump (COSRX is at a slant), the lack of a lot code, the product not coming in the same sizes that are verified on the retailer’s page or the name of the product looking different. IF you must, buy your first version from the brand.
If you love snail mucin, sellers like YesStyle or Stylevana are great places to start.
x Charlotte